A system-optimization perspective for supply chain network integration: The horizontal merger case

In this paper, we present a new theoretical framework for the quantification of strategic advantages associated with horizontal mergers through the integration of supply chain networks. The framework is a system-optimization one in which each firm is represented as a network of economic activities associated with manufacturing, distribution, and storage and with explicit capacities imposed on the links. We present the models pre- and post-horizontal mergers and define a measure for the quantification of the gains, if any, associated with the mergers. We illustrate the framework with several numerical examples. For simple classes of mergers we derive formulae for the strategic advantages. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.